for the use of steamers engaged in the foreign trade, amounted to nearly 103 million tons. The corresponding amount in the following year was 82 million tons. These quantities are exclusive of shipments to the Irish Free State; 13 million tons in 1923 and 2 million tons in 1924. From 1st April, 1923, trade with the Irish Free State has been treated as external trade in the United Kingdom trade accounts, but for the purpose of this return shipments of coal to the Irish Free State have been treated as internal trade in order to preserve comparability with the particulars given for earlier years. The export figures include 21 million tons shipped as bunker coal in 1913, over 18 million tons in 1923, and over 17 million tons in 1924. The increasing use of oil fuel by steamships should be considered in connexion with these figures; in 1924 nearly 252 million gallons of fuel oil were so shipped at United Kingdom ports, compared with 1414 million gallons in 1922, the first year for which records of such shipments were kept. The United Kingdom coal export trade is very widespread, and it will be seen from Table A of the Appendix that, in addition to shipments to European and Mediterranean countries, the exports to South American countries are very considerable. The United States export of over 23 million tons in 1924 was less by about 6 million tons than the export in 1913 or in 1923. The totals given in the tables are inclusive of 4 million tons of bunker coal shipped in 1924, 4 million tons in million tons in 1923, and 73 million tons in 1913. Most of the coal exported from the United States goes to Canada, but in 1920 large quantities were shipped to European markets, the total to France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland amounting to nearly 12 million tons, in addition to small quantities of coke; in the following year the total to those countries was 23 million tons. Most of the coal now exported from Germany is on reparations account, and the chief markets for free" coal are Holland, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Switzerland. Instead of exporting Silesian coal Germany now imports largely from that coalfield. The completeness of the import and export statistics. is stated by the German statistical authorities to have been seriously affected by the occupation of the Ruhr; to what extent the figures relating to coal imports and exports in 1923 and 1924 are incomplete cannot be stated.

The question of the exports of coal from each country is complicated by the fact that the published returns do not in all cases show the procedure with regard to what is called "bunker coal." The figures given in this Return for the exports from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, France, Belgium and Japan are inclusive of coal shipped for the use of steamers engaged in the foreign trade,* while coal shipped for the use of steamers engaged in the coasting or river trade is excluded. The principle in Germany prior to

* Except in Tables A, D and F of the Appendix to Part I. See notes on pages 45, 52 and 54.

1st March, 1906, was to exclude all coal put on board vessels to be used as bunker coal from the import and export accounts. It should, however, be pointed out that coal sent from other parts of the German Empire to the free port of Hamburg was included amongst exports prior to 1st March, 1906, and whilst it is true that the greater part of this found its way abroad, a portion may no doubt have done so in the form of bunker coal. In later years, the German coal supplied as bunkers to foreign vessels is included in the exports, while that supplied to German vessels is excluded. The amount recorded as shipped for the use of foreign vessels has been small, amounting only to 327,000 tons in 1913, and to 64,000 tons in 1924. The particulars for Italy for 1902 and subsequent years include bunker coal supplied to Italian and to foreign vessels; in 1901 such coal supplied to foreign vessels only is included. No statement with regard to bunker coal is made in the export returns of British India, the Dominion of Canada, Russia, Sweden or Spain, but as the exports of coal from the three European countries were small, it appears probable that the exports from these three countries are exclusive of bunker coal.

The principal coal-producing foreign countries which imported coal in excess of the amount they exported in 1924 were Russia, Sweden, France, Belgium and Spain. Italy depends almost entirely upon imports for her coal supply. Of the divisions of the British Empire included in the tables, Canada, New Zealand and British India had an excess of imports. The following statement shows the excess amount of Coal imported into the above-mentioned countries in 1913 and 1924, including the quantities of coke and manufactured fuel, except in the particulars for Canada and New Zealand :

Bunker coal is included in the exports from Belgium, France, Italy, and New Zealand. As regards other countries, see the general statement above For fuller dctails with regard to exports, see Appendix to Part I of these tables, p. 53.

Figures for 1923, later particulars not being available.

The imports into France are inclusive of Saar coal and of reparations coal, and those of Belgium and Italy are also inclusive of reparations coal. For the two first-mentioned, largely increased imports are shown for 1924, while in the case of Belgium the exports show a reduction. Imports into Spain have been on a very much reduced scale.

Coal Consumption.

The consumption of coal in each country has been arrived at. for the purposes of the present tables, by adding the imports to the home production, and deducting the exports. The quantity of coal available for consumption in some of the chief consuming countries is shown in the following statement, in which the countries are given in the order of importance as coal consumers in 1924:

Excluding the output of Ireland.

* Provisional figures. Estimate based on Monthly Report of Anglo-Czechoslovakian Bank, February, 1924; the amount is also included in the figure for AustriaHungary.

The quantity available for consumption in the United States in 1924 was about equal to the total available in Europe, and in 1923 considerably more, but it must be remembered that the requirements of some Continental countries are largely supplemented by the use of lignite, which is mined extensively in Germany and Czechoslovakia, and appreciably in Hungary, Austria, Italy and France. The consumption in the British Isles in 1924, amounting to 12 million tons above the 1923 quantity, was rather more than the combined total for Germany and France. Taking the averages for the three pre-war years and those of the three post-war years, the United States consumption amounted to 457 million tons and 491 million tons. respectively. The corresponding averages for the British Isles. are 183 million tons and 173 million tons, and those for France, 59 million tons and, including Alsace Lorraine, 663 million tons. Consumption in Belgium has increased rapidly, reaching 32 million tons in 1924 compared with 28 million tons in the previous

year and 26 million tons for 1924 includes about 1

in 1913. The consumption recorded million tons (coal and coal-equivalent of imported coke) consumed in Luxembourg.

The consumption per head of the population in the British Isles shows a fall from an annual average of 401 tons in the years 1911 to 1913, to 3.63 tons in the years 1922 to 1924, and that of the United States from 4.80 tons in the earlier period, to 4.43 tons in the later. In France the consumption per head of the population rose from 1:49 tons to 169 tons, and in Belgium from 3.33 tons to 3.70 tons, taking annual averages for the same periods.

Coal consumed for locomotive purposes on railways in Great Britain amounted to 13,512,000 tons in 1924 and 13,326,000 tons in 1923, compared with 13,147,000 tons in 1913. The figures are given in Table N of the Appendix to Part I, p. 56.

Consumption of British Coal.

The following statement shows the percentage proportion of the coal consumed in the years 1913 and 1924 in the principal coal-producing countries, which was of (1) native, (2) United Kingdom, or (3) other production:

Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent.

tion.

of the United Kingdom. Countries.

of other

It will be seen that Germany is less self-supporting than before the war; she drew nearly 13 per cent. of her supplies from abroad in 1924 compared with 9 per cent. in 1911, 8 per cent. in 1912 and about 7 per cent. in 1913. The continuance of consumption of coal in Germany from the coalfields of Polish Upper Silesia materially affects the percentage of imported supplies, the 13,749,000 tons imported for consumption in 1924 including 6,683,000 tons from Polish Upper Silesia, which was German territory prior to June, 1922. The consumption of British coal in France fell from 18 million tons in 1923 to 13 million tons in 1924, and amounted to 111 millions tons in 1913. Belgian

consumption of British coal also fell in 1924 compared with 1923, the quantities in those two years being about 2 million tons and 4 million tons respectively; the quantity in the later year was, however, over half a million tons more than the quantity in 1913. Imports into France from Germany in 1924 amounted to 12 million tons, and those from the Saar district to 5 million tons. The Belgian consumption of German coal was nearly 73 millions tons in 1924.

The following tables show, in some detail, the total quantities of coal, coke, etc., imported for home consumption by Germany, France and Belgium during the years 1911 to 1913 and 1922 to 1924, and the sources of those imports:

* Coke and patent fuel have been converted into their approximate coal equivalent (see Prefatory Note on page 22).

+ Chiefly Austria-Hungary.

Including receipts on account of Reparations.

Including 3,103,000 tons in 1922, 8,978,000 tons in 1923, and 6,683,000 tons

in 1924 from Polish Upper Silesia.